Look out Syfy channel as BBC America is rapidly encroaching into your domain. With the success of ‘The Fades’, ‘Being Human’ and ‘Doctor Who,’ BBC America has announced in a press release today that it will develop two new sci-fi series with UK production company Clerkenwell Films, the producers of the successful UK sci-fi series ‘Misfits.’
‘Wired’ and ‘The Dead Beat’ are the first series that will be created from the partnership between BBC America and Clerkenwell Films.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be developing these British projects with Clerkenwell – our first originals in the sci-fi genre,” commented Perry Simon, General Manager of BBC America. “Supernatural Saturday has become a popular fixture on BBC America’s schedule and both these highly creative ideas add a new dimension to our programming.”
Murray Ferguson, Chief Executive at Clerkenwell added “There’s a great energy behind this partnership; the creative-makeup of BBC America, Clerkenwell, Steven Volk and John Jackson is truly inspiring and has given us the opportunity to create something very special. The prospect of reaching a global audience is exciting and we’re eager to bring the worlds of ‘Wired’ and ‘The Dead Beat’ to life.”
Here’s the description of both series taken from the press release:
‘Wired’ takes place in a world that looks exactly like today, except for one thing: this is a world with ‘Syns’ (‘Synthetic Organisms’), exact replicas of human beings and the newest luxury accessory money can buy. Wired explores our evolving relationship with technology, the boundaries of society’s values and moralities, our hypocrisies and contradictions – holding up a mirror to who we are today and what we might become.
In ‘The Dead Beat’, two cops, one dead and one alive, become a reluctant team, working from leads in the world of the dead to track down killers in the world of the living. Subverting the crime genre, The Dead Beat brings a whole new meaning to cold cases, underworld informants, dead leads and buried evidence.
This is exciting news as BBC America has aired some great British sci-fi shows in the past. Although ‘Wired’ does sound a little like the NBC’s ‘Beautiful People’ pilot, I’m curious to see their take on it. We’ll keep you updated as more news on these projects come out!
